Still Lifes

Sometimes life seems to just be standing still...it is in those times that I contemplate a LOT....

We are in between ........seemingly lost in between.....what we have known is going away and what we have not known is coming quickly...

I love to arrange still lifes and photograph them .I like to ponder beautiful arrangements and look at artistic composures..

BUT......

I like living in action.....not in still lifes....

so for the moment, I feel like I am about half here.....one foot in the world of a business office in our house and one foot in the world of a business gone public....moved out of our house...
and one foot in winter and one foot in spring..

I am just glad that I have some stability to stand on...knowing God and knowing who I am..and knowing I am loved by my husband.....but other than that, there is a lot of limbo around here.........

I keep repeating to myself...

CHANGE IS GOOD!!

An older woman told me one time that the only thing in life that you can be sure of is CHANGE!!!
Boy, was she right.....

With one eye toward the future..I am standing today and trusting and putting one foot in front of the other....
because the most important thing is not stopping.....keeping on keeping on....

Who Should We Ask?

There is a phenomenom that I have observed amongst some of the younger women that I know...  it goes against what my Mama taught me when my children were young......and I listened to her and applied it to my life..and GUESS WHAT??!!!  my life was hugely benefited from her wise counsel.....

Here is what she told me......if you want to know how to raise your children, find somebody that HAS ALREADY DONE IT!!!!!!!!!  and somebody that was successful at doing it.....(look at their grown children too)  and talk to them...find out what they did and how they did it.......

We are in a society now that doesn't believe that.  I am in a university town and it is filled with young people...and most of them think they are way smarter than the older people....the dynamics of living here can be challenging....
Professors teach from behind their desk about how to run a company without ever having done it themselves......
One of the most popular things is blogging about motherhood...that is wonderful and I am sure keeps a lot of girls sane and feeling like they are not alone...BUT......and a great big but......where are the experienced mamas??  The ones that have done this job of mothering and been successful at it?  I believe there is most definitely a disconnect here between the generations...I don't know how it happened..that is not my worry...My thoughts are about how do we remedy this?
I have observed young mamas that have very little experience trying to guide other young mamas with less experience and they both really NEED some counsel from a much more experienced mama...because from this mamas perspective, neither one of them are giving very good counsel to the other..they are just bouncing back and forth what they have come up with on their own....

Why are the younger women having to do this on their own?   are we as older women not available?  or are they just not willing to listen to older and wiser counsel because it is not what they want to hear?  do they really want to raise successful adults or not?  I have younger and older readers and would love to hear some feedback on this one....

It came about this morning when I was taking pictures of my yard before the sun was over the trees and I realized where I learned to do that....Just a few years ago I would wait til it was nice and bright outside to take pictures and they didn't turn out so good...so I knew my Daddy is a really good photographer so I asked him...He told me to take pictures early morning or late afternoon or stand in the shade if the sun is high....changed the quality of my pictures.......BUT I WENT TO SOMEONE WITH EXPERIENCE IN WHAT I WANTED TO LEARN!!!!!!

for the life of me, I do not understand thinking somebody has good counsel when they have never ever done what you want to know about......they can only give you some opinion of theirs....go for the experience..the more experience, the better.....it is the only way to grow well.....

I am very passionate about this subject....mentoring...listening...mainly choosing wisely the voices we listen to....
not everyone that acts like they know everything actually knows what they are talking about....LOOK at their life...they can only guide you into what they are living.....nothing more....I promise.....

thank you for reading this morning..

.I surely would like to hear what you have to say about this matter.....I think our grandchildren's generation is at stake ... their mamas need to find seasoned and experienced women to listen to..and we need to be available.....

Share what you are experienced in.......whenever a younger woman asks...

be ready.....

Mona

Can we really do anything we want to do??????

This morning we had a friend come over and set up the rest of our wifi system...He fixed all of the functions of the blu ray player we bought several months ago....now we can get Pandora, youtube, Netflix and all of the rest through our TV....and our smart phones will use wifi at home too........

You know, this made me start thinking....uh-oh.....LOL

Part of maturity is knowing and accepting our limitations..we all have them...we have things we excel in and things we totally need to depend on others for because we are not equipped to do them....

How many of us are like Tula?  sitting at a gate that is not going to open for us because it is put there to keep us out of a place we do not belong????  instead of living in the places where we do belong?????  this gate is to keep her out of my garden and I am NOT going to open it and let her in....


My parents told me all of my growing up years that I could do anything I set my mind to....that is simply not a true statement..it has taken a very long time to realize just how damaging that belief can be.......we are made to be interdependent, not independent of one another....There is a healthy way to depend on others...and that is what we need to learn and accept as a part of a healthy lifestyle.......

I met a group of people lsat week that I have been very close to for more than 2 years...but...our relationship had been built via technology...phone calls, emails, texts, and facebook...I am so grateful for all of these ways of communication....but..coming face to face with these people....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

there is indeed healing in good, healthy relationships.......and I came home changed....knowing I have family that is totally committed to one another....unconditional love..they do not require me to be perfect and neither do I expect them to be..we honor one another and respect who God has made us to be....

Realizing that I cannot be everything to everybody is freeing...frees me to be who I am meant to be....

I don't want to write my own agenda for life...I want to submit my heart to God and follow His leading...in all things....that means I have limitations and boundaries in my life I am not to cross...they are for my own good and protection.......

Jake, Maggie, Tula, and Bo are sitting smushed up against our front gate....they want out..but they are NOT going to get out because there is a busy highway close by..this fence is for their own protection because we love them and want to keep them safe......they cannot do what they set their minds to do because we are bigger and smarter and will not open the gate for them to get out......are we like this?  there are 2 acres of fenced in area they could be running and playing in right behind them..but they choose to look forlornly out of the front gate....hahaha..not gonna happen.....


I know who I am......and what I am called to do..that is our life quest..to find significance and living the life I am created for brings such peace...

so it is not a matter of being able to do anything or be anything...it is a matter of finding the answer to this question...who am I and why was I created?   and we all have to go to God to find those answers....no other man can answer these questions for us.....it is the main thing we are created for...to have a living and vital relationship with God..who made us and loves us and will give us the answers we seek........

I embrace my limitations and weaknesses.....they help me not be independent of others......we are all a part of a greater picture....but I know my strengths too and I gladly bring them and share them with others.....

Let's do this thing together...find your place and LIVE there....BE who you are called to be.......

I found part of my family last week and it is a perfect fit for me.....from teenagers to older women and men..they were all there...what a good God we know....He truly brings restoration to the things we have lost.....

thank you for stopping by today...

maybe this will help to accept and embrace our limitations..it is a good thing to do..

hope to see you again soon..

Mona

I am sharing at
Inspiration Friday

come over and visit

Gentleness Is Enough

We all have a breaking point.........

As I looked at this rose, I started to think about how we will all bend under the weight of something......there is a point in all of our lives that we will yield to something other than ourselves........

We are made that way.....to yield to God.....and when we do that, it is a good thing..........

this parsley was standing tall just last night...then something came along and weighed it down and now it has bent low and is touching the ground.....

I want to be so sensitive that all it takes for me to bend is something as gentle as the rain ....a gentle touch...a sweet reminder to yield.......the rain has come as a help for these beautiful flowers..it has not come to destroy them but to make them even better..to give them life.......it has gently caused them to bow down so that the ones that come after these blooms will be refreshed by this rainfall.....

Nature teaches us many things..many life lessons....the cycles of life..and death......

From observing the blossoms on my roses, I became aware that it is much easier to bend under the gentleness of rain than to insist on having my way.......a yielded life is a fruitful life.....

Let the rain be all that it takes when you need correction..when the path you are on is not the right one...let gentleness be your teacher.....it is your choice....ALWAYS...choose wisely.....

A gentle nudging...in horses it is called a gentle mouth....very easily guided in the right direction......

Gentleness goes a long way...so does kindness.....let's be those kinds of people......

How beautiful that these roses easily bent over under a very gentle rain....it was for their own good..they did not resist.....and it will benefit them greatly...

I want to be that kind of woman..

thank you for stopping by today....I enjoyed our visit and I hope you come again soon...

                                                                            Mona

When the Forsythias Blooms..... or Phenology...

forsythia blooms

When the forsythia blooms..........well, it is blooming in my yard....and this is a sign...but, a sign of WHAT??   I know that it is a sign but couldn't for the life of me remember what it is a sign of..so my researching brain kicked in and I googled the phrase... :-)   and lo and behold it is actually a named science with studies and even it's own Wikipedia page..  so you know it is real if Wikipedia says so..  wink, wink

Here is a little bit of what I found..

"Phenology is derived from the Greek word phaino , meaning to show or appear. Phenology refers to recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, maturation of agricultural plants, emergence of insects, and migration of birds.  It is also the study of these recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate."



" Phe-nol-o-gy is the study of changes in plants and animals as they respond to weather, climate, and the seasons. Each spring we anxiously await the first returning robin in the hope of warmer weather. That is a phenological event. It happens every year but the return date depends a lot on the weather. Migration and flowering are two more examples of phenological events."

 Then I started pondering...if we have signs in our life but we don't know what they mean....well, that could be a problem.....it is not because we are not warned or encouraged..it is because we are DULL of understanding....it isn't the sign with the problem, it is US!   

I am an avid gardener...I pay attention to my yard, or so I like to think. this yard is my baby...and I care deeply for it....so when we were riding down the road the other day and Bryan said, did you see those yellow flowers blooming?.....in our yard.... 

me  ...  HUH????  what flowers???

B... those little yellow ones by the driveway (that I had just walked by to get in the truck)

WOW!   I had definitely missed it..when the forsythia blooms... cause I didn't even see them blooming..and we have about 5 HUGE bushes bordering our driveway so it's not easy to miss.

This little slice of our life got me wondering about all the signs we have every day in our life.......

we know to STOP when we see that red sign.....my favorite one is 'KEEP MOVING' and you wouldn't believe how many people STOP at it...

Yes, we have signs all around us...we need to pay attention to them and if we don't know what they mean...search it out!!!  don't ignore them...and heed what they are telling us.....

I love my home..I am passionate about the way I furnish it...down to the smallest detail...and I am also an avid thrift store shopper...so when I found a magnetized spice rack with brand new spice containers, I saw that as a sign that I was on the right track in homemaking....I had just the weekend before been in Atlanta with Betsy looking through The Container Store for magnetized spice containers.....we couldn't find any but there they were in just a few days. at the thrift store I regularly go to...and all for $3......it was a sign of encouragement for me....something I had wanted and it was placed right in front of me ..I could have ignored it but I have tried to train myself to pay attention to the signs in my life.....

there are also signs that warn us of danger ahead, or to turn around, or that we are headed in a wrong direction.....

It is important to know the signs and to read them...and to do what they say...it is a fun thing to do a little research about......

what are the signs in your life?  are they telling you that you are going in the right direction?  or are they telling you to turn around..get on another path? 

I like signs....

oh, and the forsythia thing?   it means that the soil is beginning to warm up when the forsythia blooms..

from Organic Gardening....

In the case of those show-off forsythias, once they bloom, it's the perfect time to do the following tasks:

• Remove mulch from irises and other perennials that you may have mulched heavily to prevent frost heaving.
• Install floating row covers over cabbages if you have issues with cabbage worm.
• Prune your roses. By the time the forsythias bloom, evidence of winter kill on your roses will be easy to spot. Healthy canes will be a greenish-brown color, and dead canes will be black. You can prune to remove this dead wood, as well as to generally shape and open up the plant.
• Direct sow seeds for cool-season crops such as lettuce, greens, chard, peas, radishes, and carrots.
• Plant potatoes.

None of these are set in stone, obviously. For example, many of us try to have our peas planted by St. Patrick's Day. But this provides a good general guideline for figuring out when the time is right to take care of certain tasks.


I hope you enjoyed this little bit of gardening wisdom.....

What are the signs in your life and what do they mean to you?  I would love to hear about them....

thanks for stopping by today...come again soon..

                                                      Mona

only a visionary will appreciate this..  :-)  my garden spot

your own somebodiness

This post is to pay tribute to an amazing man that spoke words of wisdon that were way ahead of his time.... A man that died far too young.....when I read this speech this morning, I was astounded at the similarity of Martin Luther King's words and my life message....I hope you read this all the way to the end..and that you appreciate the contribution that this man made to our country especially the South where we live...He spoke words to us that people absolutely did NOT want to hear but he was BRAVE..and man did not stop his words..they continue to live on today....take a second look at this courageous man's life...and stop to reflect on what he said..and be thankful for what he gave to help set people FREE!!! freedom is always a good message !


What Is Your Life's Blueprint?

On October 26, 1967, six months before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia.

I want to ask you a question, and that is: What is your life's blueprint?

Whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the pattern, as the guide, and a building is not well erected without a good, solid blueprint.

Now each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid and a sound blueprint.

I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life's blueprint. Number one in your life's blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you fell that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.

Secondly, in your life's blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You're going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life's work will be. Set out to do it well.

And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you--doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers — and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great essayist, said in a lecture in 1871, "If a man can write a better book or preach a better sermon or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, even if he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door."

This hasn't always been true — but it will become increasingly true, and so I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don't drop out of school. I understand all the sociological reasons, but I urge you that in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you're forced to live in — stay in school.    
 ( and I would add here,stay in LIFE..don't drop out of LIFE no matter what your reasons are)


And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better.

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.

Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.


To me, this is just an amazing speech...so I encourage you to find your calling.....then 
Live it to the best of your ability!!!     get on that trail of discovery and search like your life depended on it...because it does......

Thank you for stopping by today..... 
Happy Martin Luther King Day.........

I hope to see you again soon...
Mona   

windows

window        

Definition of WINDOW

an opening especially in the wall of a building for admission of light and air that is usually closed by casements or sashes containing transparent material (as glass) and capable of being opened and shut 

 a means of entrance or access;

 an interval of time during which certain conditions or an opportunity exists

 the windows of our soul...that is the title of a book I read a long time ago...and it is the phrase that is running around in my head this morning......as I stand here in my warm house..it feels safe....and comfortable..and when I look out, it looks pretty...


I hardly ever think about what is coming INTO my house through these windows...I am always focusing on looking out ...not looking in...but when I looked up the definition of window, this is what I saw...an entrance.....hmmmmm..not what I usually think of when I think of windows.....so I started to ponder....what are the windows of my soul and what are they there for???  and what am I thinking about this for?   grin  grin...


We own a company named Athens window and Door so I hear about windows all day long..they are a constant source of conversation.  I hear my husband discussing all the different types and prices of windows every day.......so, why this little road trip into the meaning behind windows??


Alrighty then, here goes..


I love to look out my windows...I landscape the yard for spectacular views no matter which window you look out of at our house.....I have always thought the view from our windows were as important as views within the garden...but I give little or no thought to what is coming IN the windows.....only the going out part....


I am kinda thinking out loud this morning....I am sure I have windows that are letting in good things and probably some not so good things..places where I didn't realize something was coming back into my heart via these windows of my soul....I didn't think about  as I look out these openings, I am also receiving into my heart....that light comes IN too....


Yesterday, I became a little curious about something ........no harm done, right?  I was looking OUT this window.....well, something came back in through that window....the memories of some very hurtful things were stirred up in me just from a tiny little opening.....so maybe that is where I am coming from this morning...I need to CLOSE that window and lock it..maybe even close it in....LOL    


The moral of this story is this...I thought I could just peer out of the window of my soul with NO thought of what was coming in through the window.....but that is not what happened.....
when there are windows in your life that have closed....LEAVE them closed....it is for a reason......


As I think of posting this, I am almost  deciding not to...but in hopes of helping someone that is going through something similar, I will post it.....I hope it makes sense to someone out there......


I am going to keep pondering this...


what are the windows of your soul?  and what is coming IN through them?


thank you for sticking it out to the end of this.........tomorrow will be about flowers or pretty leaves  but for today........this.....

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your sight;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them
And health to all their body.

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth
And put devious speech far from you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established



Thank you for visiting here today..my hope for you is that the path of your life continues to shine brighter and brighter.......

Good Friday

Today is a day that represents a day that seemed very bleak for us when Jesus died on that cross...it seemed like all was lost and all had ended....it seemed like the enemy had won...
BUT.......
that was not the TRUTH..it had not ended..it had only just begun...there was LIFE on the other side of that cross..there was a resurrection for Jesus and life for all of eternity. so the enemy's victory turned around quickly on him...it was in reality..OUR VICTORY!!! God had taken death and turned it into something good....He took the sting out of death...He made it contain life ..eternal life...and it became a gift for us..to apply Jesus work on the cross to our own life and receive what He did as our very own sacrifice..and exchange His death for our life..it is a pretty good exchange....He died and we live..through Him..when He lives in us, we get resurrected life forever...because He did not just die and leave it at that...He AROSE!!!

My life has been a testament to this story....He took my life filled with death and turned it around for me...I gave it to Him..all of it..the good, bad, and the ugly..He took it in exchange for His life living through me...it was my very best choice...to give Jesus my life and let Him do whatever He wanted to do with me....He took bad things and turned them around for my good....what the enemy has meant for harm, He has meant for good...just like Winterpast, our home, as we have worked to restore and bring back to life the lifeless places..He has worked on me..where there were barren places, He has brought flowers that bloom....where there was heartache, He has filled me with healing..where there was rejection, He has accepted me just as I am....His love never fails...He is good...

Today just could not pass by without a tribute to the One who paid it all for me...Jesus...

               How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God ! How vast is the sum of them!
                                               Psalm 139:17-18 (New American Standard)

Happy Good Friday y'all....and Happy Easter.....remember..
from the tomb.....He is NOT HERE!!!!!  He is ALIVE.....

thank you for reading along with me...take time to reflect on the wonderful EXCHANGE! 

Time goes fast

There are many faces to the best decision I ever made..sometimes it takes a lot of years to gain some wisdom for life choices..When I was in my 40's I came to realize just that....these were my choices and I had the responsibility to make good and wise ones...No one else to blame but myself....I guess you can call that freedom to choose....

Godly man

Looking back, I made a very good choice.to marry this man....and I have never regretted it...seeing the joy on his face just reaffirms that we are good for one another...

Poppy

Fourteen years ago we were in the midst of planning our elopement. it was Top Secret..only my children knew what we were up to..this week we celebrate the day that changed my life for the better...

Grandfather

Who knew that just a few short years and we would have 3 grandsons and 5 dogs...from empty to abundant...that is our story..and I will share more for the next few posts...

Father

What a difference..when we first married, my daughter used to call Bryan 'Happy' as a nickname because he was so unsmiling and serious about everything...

Husband

This pretty much sums up our personalities...as you can see, I am the serious one.

Thank you for reading along with me as we enter into this memorable time for me us....

And the things of earth....

When I looked at this picture taken in my back yard, this song immediately came to my mind....it is one of my very favorites....I hope it makes you sing a long too.







thank you for being here this morning...and I leave you with a song in your heart.. until next time...

Not the right place

Sometimes we find ourselves in just the wrong place.  No amount of juggling or fixing or rationalizing will 'fix it'...it is simply the WRONG PLACE.....


One of my most favorite verses in the whole Bible talks about this....
And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes),  Acts 17:26

This beautiful cedar tree near our ponds was in just that situation.  there was nothing wrong with the tree..in fact, the more I pondered cutting it down, the more beautiful it became...like it was trying it's best to talk me out of what I had decided to do...BUT  it had been planted in the WRONG PLACE....by the former home owners..so it was not my choice either....and it had become the perfect place for a little grandson of mine to hide behind so he could throw sticks and rocks into the pond...well, boys will be boys.  LOL  so the time had come......CUT it down...

so what does that verse have to do with anything??

I believe there is a certain place where we are to be that will be the most benefit for us and our destiny..if we are in that place, then all the things of our life kinda take care of themselves...one example is our workplace.....
..I NEVER in a million years EVER thought I would go to work in a poultry plant...YUK!!  YUK!!! YUK!!!!!

But

God had different plans than I did....it was the right place for me to be at that time...and several months later I met and married the most wonderful man imaginable....a sure benefit for being in that place that had been chosen for me to be...if I had been in a different place, there is a chance my destiny would have not been fulfilled or at least short circuited for a time.....this is just one example but I could give you many, many.....
.
As you can see, this tree is a real standout..it did nothing wrong here...but I am the Master Gardener in this garden and it is MY CHOICE whether it stays or goes.....do you hear me?  not whether it did a good job or not...????
I know the big picture for this garden and it was simply in the WRONG PLACE.  so we cut it down this weekend...there is only a stump where it use to stand..the roots are probably pretty deep so it will take a bit of digging to make it completely let go and move on...

cedar in wrong place

But the BENEFIT...here is the view that was opened up.....

only a stump

I have never been able to see this view of the ponds...it was blocked by the tree....with the tree out of the way, I am once again in love with the ponds..they are easily seen from all over the yard....I have lots of plans for freshening up this area and the FIRST thing that had to be done was to cut down the tree...

a brand new view

My hope is that you can glean a few life lessons from this tree story...there is a fixed place we are to live this life that we have been alloted....wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if EVERYONE, or at least a good portion of the people would search for and find the place that has been chosen for them ?  and then to do whatever it takes to get there??  I think that a lot of people would be so much more content if they would do that....life would go better for them...simply ask and He will direct your paths...I did and I KNOW I live in the place that was chosen for me...the house, the town, the county, the state.....even the road I live on...  this is my place in this world..just dare to ponder and ask about this......there is no place like home...the right one, that is....this life we live is not a haphazard thing..we have a purpose and where we live is an integral part of that purpose....

Well, we now have a new view just because we removed something that was blocking it..that was not in it's proper place and it is a good thing......

thank you for reading along with me this morning....

Let Love In

This is my boy Bo.

He responds like this every time I scratch his ears....no holds barred..he allows me to love him..he has no walls up to protect himself from me.

I absolutely adore this dog of mine. He is my boy and he knows it..

Here is his look of adoration towards me..he trusts me and waits for my touch because he knows I am safe...no fear in his eyes...and it melts my heart.....

Sometimes for one reason or another, there are people that I reach out to and they do not trust me..they run from me..they do not trust me..they have believed a lie about me and feel safer about believing that lie than searching on their own for the truth....they have not taken the time to get to know me for who I really am...there is not much that frustrates me more than that...because I know that I cannot convince someone that I am different than who they have already decided I am...this is a nasty thing called judgment....we all do this at some point....not giving each other the benefit of the doubt...we judge  someone as harmful when they are not really harmful at all and that we would benefit from being in relationship with.....

I think we all have these kinds of things happening in our lives....people believing gossip about us....something someone else said that was simply not true...

Let's not be quick to pass judgment...get all the angles...listen to peoples hearts..look at the example of their life...don't jump to conclusions...believe the best about someone...be an optimist...try to love each other....

It saddens me when someone believes I am different than I really am.....I am a safe woman to be around...and I genuinely care about people..I am not trying to manipulate a certain response from you..I am trying to put into words what I think many others feel too...it is hard to accept when you are really misunderstood...but it is time to move on...don't continue to try to convince them otherwise...maybe one day they will see the truth.....

'A man convinced against his will is of the same persuasion still'

I have quoted this about a thousand times or more in my life...I want you to know me from your heart like Bo does..and when I reach out my hand to you in love, I want a response of trust..I am not a pushy woman and will not continue trying to get in where I am not wanted..it is with sadness I let go of some relationships that I have tried and tried to 'fix' and they obviously do not want what I want...this is the year of being a little wiser and learning to let go....and not try to MAKE people respond to me when I reach out....

Maybe by sharing my stories, you will get a little freer to be yourself too...seeing that you are not alone in the things that are not so popular to talk about. I don't mind talking about these things and sharing my heart...it is time that we live a life of joy and openness ..not hidden and depressed......

I appreciate you my readers.....let's set our houses in order and accept responsibility for who we are..and for our own choices....

Christams greenery

wreath of fresh greenery from my yard, hung on my Grandmother's hutch

smilax on the chandelier

smilax..sideboard needs more arranging

The MENU

Every year when I start to gather greenery to put in the house for Christmas...I begin to smile because of this little story I am going to tell you..

When I was first married and all grown up...yeah, right...hahaha..well, anyway..

I wanted to decorate my own house as I had seen my Mama do for all those years..I knew there was an annual trip to the woods to gather smilax..an evergreen vine that is beautiful green and shiny and curvy and just perfect for swags and wrapping around things...you just had to have it in decorating or so I thought...I asked my Daddy how could I tell what was smilax when I got in the woods and started looking for it...His answer to me was classic...

"You'll know it when you see it"

no description of how it grew or where it was or even how to find it...just you'll know it when you see it..

True to form, as soon as I started to gather it yesterday, I started to smile at the advice from my Daddy that has turned out to be a real word of wisdom for me...it kinda sums up my life...as I pondered these words, I realized it describes me much better than I ever realized....most things I know when I see...can't describe it, can't tell you about it, hardly even know what I am looking for BUT....I will know it when I see it....LOL

I can't help but smile this morning as I write about this..My Daddy knew me better than I knew myself..

and most of the time, I really DO know it when I see it..

thank you Daddy for your words to me..they set the course of my life..

Merry Christmas to all of you.

thank you for reading.